Journal box packing



July so, 1957 Filed Burgh 26. 1954 R. J. HARKENRIDER 2,801,138

JOURNAL BOX PACKING 6 Sheets-'Sheet l IN VEN TOR. fmzfmmm July 30, 1957R. J. HARKENRIDER JOURNAL. Box PACKING 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed latch 26,1954 INVENTOR. l .n

July 30, 1957 R. J. HARKENRIDER .2,801,138 v JOURNAL BOX PACKING Fildlatch 26, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 30, 1957 R. J. HARKENRIDER2,801,138

JOURNAL. BOX PACKING Filed 11m-cn 26, 1954 s sheets-sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

July 30, 1957 R. .1. HARKENmm-:R l 2,801,138

JOURNAL BOX PACKING Filed Haren 26, 1954 v s sheets-sheet 5 44/INVENTOR.

July 30, 1957 R. J. HARKENRlDER JOURNAL Box PACKING 6 Sheets-Sheet 6Filed llarch 26, 1954 United States Patent JOURNAL Box PACKING Robert.LHarkenrider, Winona, Minn., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments,to Miller Lubricator Company, Winona, Minn., a corporation of MinnesotaAppncafion March 26, 1954, serial No. 419,029

a claims. (C1. sos- 243) Conventional journal box packing is wastethreads of wool or cotton, or both, specied by A. A. R. MechanicalDivision Manual A-905, and the standard practice of applying it to ajournal box is specilied by the same manual L-34.

The material and its application to journal boxes has been in common usefor many years attended by many objections and difficulties. Theincreased speed and mileage of freight cars has so multiplied thosethings as to result in an emergency for different and better journal boxpacking.

The principal object of this invention is to overcome the pastdifficulties and to obtain substantial uniformity of packing andlubrication with freedom from waste grab, hot boxes, etc.

Generally speaking, this is accomplished by providing packing inpackages of uniform size `and other characteristics, and that arereadily installed in the journal boxes in proper relation to the journaland the oil cellar.

Each package includes a loop of fabric or sheet as a carrier, a uniformlayer of waste or yarn on the loop having threads interlaced with orthrough it and made fast to it, and a resilient core having a highcompression factor in the loop distending it and furnishing it withappropriate pressure to apply the waste to the journal;

The best way to get a uniform layer of wastefor an applicator is to cardthe waste and interlace it with a fabric or other sheet as or just afterit is delivered from the carding machine or waste puller, although othermachines will feed waste or yarn in a usable layer for nterlacing itwith the fabric.

Interlacing well done will fasten most of the waste threads againstbeing pulled out by the journal, but additional fastening withvanadhesive on the inside of the carrier adds an important and desirablefactor of safety against waste grab, and also adds an oilbarrier to forma reserve pool of oil directly beneath the journal.

Heavy, open weave cotton cloth, similar to laundry bag cloth, makes agood carrier for journal box waste. The main fabric may be supplementedby a thin sheet including or receiving the adhesive.

A variety of woven or sheeted materials will serve for the carrier inwhole or in part, and many bers laced or interlaced through or with thecarrier and made fast with adhesive will serve; but a loop of open weavecotton on the order of laundry bag cloth having a layer of journal boxwaste outside and inside with the threads interlaced through and madefast with an oil resistant adhesive on the inside of the loop ispreferred.

v 'Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent asthe description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a cross section through a journal box and an laxle journalequipped with a packing embodying the invention;

' Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the journal boxand a packingalong the axis of the axle;

ice

' to show the different characteristics of the several layers;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one form of resilient core;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another form of resilient core;

Fig. 8 is a broken view indicating one method of fastening the envelopeto the core;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the strips used in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a strap or handle used with thepackage;

Fig. 11 is a cross section ofan alternative form of core;

Y Figs. 12 and 13 are cross sections through journal boxes equipped withpacking embodying this invention, Fig. l2 having a resilient core likethat shown in Fig.- 6 and Fig. 13 having a resilient core like thatshownin Fig. 7; and

Figs. 14 and 15 are cross sections similar to Figs. 12 and 13 includingan alternative form of envelope.

But these drawings are for the purpose of illustrative disclosure only,and are not intended to impose unnecessary limitations on the claims.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 10 indicates generally a conventional journal box on aconventional axle journal 11 with a packing generally indicated by 12 inplace between the lower portion of the journal and the bottom of thejournal box in what is commonly referred to as the oil cellar of thejournal box.

In one way of making the package or packing embodying this invention, arectangular blank of laminated waste blanket is formed into a loop asindicated at 13 (Fig. 3) with its end portions brought together and madefast at 14. The edges of the blank are bound as indicated at 15, whichmay be done by putting it through an edging or edge stitching machine.

Such a loop or sub-assembly 13 receives a resilient core 16 by which theblanket material is distended and held in place between the axle journaland the journal box.

In Fig. 3, the resilient core 16 is shown generally elliptical in form,which is very satisfactory for making a reversible packing package thatmay be used, first, with the side shown uppermost in Fig. 3 against theaxle journal, and later reversed to bring the other side against thejournal.

For packages not to be reversed,` the core and consequently the packageare shaped more nearly like a bow or semi-elliptical and of sizesuitable for filling the space between the lower side of the journal andthe bottom and adjacent sides of the oil cellar.

Carding machines and waste pullers delivering a layer of carded wastesubstantially uniform have long been familiar.4 Machines for hooking thewaste to the fabric are known.

As the layer or layers of Waste and fabric go through a hooking machine,they pass over a hooking plate, where they are subjected to the actionof a multitude of hooked needles reciprocating up and down.

The carding machine delivers the layer of waste in substantially uniformthickness and with the waste threads extending generally lengthwise tothe layer, although the natural Wave of the threads makes them departfrom strict parallelism to the direction in which the sheet isdelivered.

As the layer of Waste and fabric go through the action of the hookedneedles, many of the waste threads are caught by the hooks and pulleddownwardly in loops through the remainder of the layer of waste andthrough the fabric, and formed into loops below the fabric. In someinstances, the waste threads will be caught near the top of the layer-inothers, deeper into the layer-but the overall effect is tohookindividual threadsV of waste through the mass of waste and thefabric andA not only fasten those particular threads but associatedthreads into a blanket in which, generally speaking, all the threadsaremade feast against being pulled out in service.V

During` this hookingV operation withlwaste and openV weave cotton likelaundry bag cloth, the weave is tightened or shrunk by the interlacingof the threads which are thereby brought into intimate contact with thethreads of the cloth in such a way as to promote ready transfer of oilfrom the cloth to the wasteV threads. ,Y

The number of needles, the spacing of the needles, and the number ofpasses through the blanket per unit of length determine how thoroughlythe threads of waste are` interlaced through the blanket from side toside.

Y In many instances, the loops pull through the fabric r'interlace-below so as to actually knit the Whole together.4 K n InFigsj.-v 4 and 5, 17 indicates a relatively thick layer ofwasteinterlaced with a wove'n carrier cloth 18 and a relatively thin layer 19of waste. The three layers are thoroughly fastened together by theintel-lacing of waste threads.V The Vthinner layer 19 may be formedentirely by hooking threads throughl the fabric from the thicker layer11,'an`d iti can be in part formed by feeding a thin layer of cardedwaste underthe carrier cloth before reaching" the hooking machine or ina supplementary or preliminary hooking machine. The relative thicknessof the t'wo layersv of waste is a matter of choice.

The specifications for new wastefor journal box packing issued by theAssociation of American Railroads requiresY that the waste be doublemachined and thoroughly delinted to remove fly and short ends. Thosethings, together with the specifications for quality and minimum length,insure thatV the laminatedblanket shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is composed inthe main of waste as specified so interlaced inthe several laminationsthat each and every thread of. that waste is made fast, and the entireblanket is free from objectionable lint and short ends. The usecnf-'suchv a laminated blanket in a packing as described insures that,no matter what Vthe weatherV conditions, thereis only a remote chance ofthe journal being able tozp'ull a portion of the thread from theapplicator and take it under the journal bearing. This distinguishes thepacking of the. present invention from the prior packing that `has beenYin common usefor many years with the attendant objections.

However, according to this invention, the inner or lower side of thethinner layer of waste is preferably treated with an adhesive 20 tofasten at the under side ofthe blanket all threads that go through tothe under side of the blanket.

. In addition, that adhesive forms a sort of pan or basinV under thejournal for a reservoir of lubricating oil that will not drain awayWhile the car ,is still for a considerable period.

That adhesive may be made of any appropriate material, many of which areknown as rubber-base cements. They may be used in powder form, sheetform, or liquid. Many of the so-called synthetic rubbers areappropriate-for example, synthetic rubber made from petroleum by B. F.GoodrichChemical Company, Akron, Ohio.

Hycar latex No. 1552, type OR-25, thickened with about 12% ammoniumcasein solution is very satis- Y factory.

Hycar 15617type OR-15 latex has superior resistance to oil, and providesa more uniform layer, which does not penetrate the blanket unduly.

Y Other suitable synthetic rubbers are described in Materials Handbookby Brady, 1941, McGraw-Hill, p. 523.

In Figs. 4 and 5, the blanket is provided with an additional fabric 21,and the adhesive layer is applied to that fabric as well as theinterlaced threads.

This further insures that the adhesive will not penetrate so far intothe blanket as to interfere with the proper capillary action. Whenproperly applied, the adhesive is coniined to the lower side of thewaste layer 19 and the fabric 21.

Leno weave netting, commonly known as onion-bag material, has been foundsatisfactory for the supplemental fabric 2l. Alternative material madefrom sisal fibers is also good.

The supplemental fabric adds materially to the strength of the blanketand enables the lubricator to hold its shape for extended periods oftime inV rough service in the journal box. The addition of thesupplementary cloth also permits a much more uniform lmof adhesive to beapplied to the back of the blanket, effecting a saving in the costlyHycar material.

Y Preferably the applicator surface of the waste` package has the'threads running generally parallel toV the axis of the journal withwhich it is to be used, so that when the journal is reversed indirection of rotation kthere is some turning of the threads] thatpresents new surfaces to the journalv and retards or eliminates glazing.

The use of the laminatedY blanket, such as described, keeps the waste inplace and makes it possible to'use a' smaller quantity of waste thanrequired when the journal box is packed as recommended by theAssociation of American Railroads. Y l

About 141/2 ounces'of laminated waste blanket is suicientI for a packageto be used in a 6" X ll journal box, Whereas the ordinary way of packingsu'ch a package takes about two pounds of waste.

The resilient core The resilient core can be'madeV -of al variety ofmaterials and many-diiferent constructions, but all are characterized byhaving a plurality of parallel contiguousl tubes of oil-resistant,-rubber-likev material arranged in Ywhat may generally be termed ahoneycomb.

In Fig. -6, there is illustrated a coreV 30 composed mainly of a stackof like parallel, circular tubes 31 vulcanized together at adjacentsurfaces 32; Thisc'ore is conveniently made by extruding the tubessimultaneously or'separately, bringing themV together while uncured, andcuring them. The tendencyY to collapse canV be controlled by injectingair or-otherv fluidunder pressure,

In Fig. 7, Vthere is illustrated a core- 33; alsogcomposed mainlyv of astack of like parallel tubes, but in this` instance each tubehas-wall-po'rtions in common with other tubes 34 andintegrial with thematthe adjoining corners 35. This Vcore is' conveniently made, byextruding in one piece', whereby theI cellular structurel is entirelyin'- tegral and the' distribution of material makes it possible to havean extremely light, springy element with a strong resistance todeforming under pressure'V and a high Yrecovery upon release, even afterbeingcompressed for a long time under adverse temperature conditions.

Corescorresponding to that shown inFig.- 7 can be made-in a greatvarietyofforms Almost any-polygonal formlcan be thus-extruded, whether regular,irregular, right angulanror otherwise. v i A Y Of the many polygonalandY generally polygonal forms which` may lend themselves to theapplication of theinvention, the equila'teral hexagonyis chosen becauseyit lends itself so readily to`- making cores, and itY has a structureparticularly adapted for this purpose;V Its springin'ess'is- Very wellsuited to the` needs of holding the applicator against the journal invspite of all the vibration,- presence` of o il,` cold and otherconditionsthat Gbtain'in the journal, bOX.- Y Y j The production of theextruded core is the subject of a companion application, Ser; No.418,442, led March 24, 1954, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by this reference. 'The material used is an oil-resistant,

`rubber-like material, such as Hycar, a product of B.,F,.

rcore 36 composed mainly of parallel tubes 37 of polygonal cross sectionhaving common Walls and integral at the intersections or corners 38 ofthose Walls. It is readily extruded.

The extruded cores may be, and preferably are, made in one piece; andthey are preferred to the form shown in Fig. 6 because `of the differentstrength qualities as well as the ease of manufacture.

One of the advantages of the multi-tubular core is the fact that thepacking assembly, when subjected to a transverse force, compresseseasily and fully to a small dimension, but does not bulge sidewise onapplication of endwise pressure when, for instance, the packing is beinginserted into the journal box.

There are several reasons for this desirable trait. For

one thing, the tubes of the cores extend longitudinally :over the totalspace occupied by the core in its unstressed position, and actuallyoccupies a relatively small percentage thereof. This permits the core tobe compressed almost tlat, for instance, to less than one-tenth of itssize; and yet it takes no set.

The longitudinally extending tube construction of the core issignificant for another reason. When a packing containing the core isinstalled in a journal box, the relatively small space between the endange of the journal and the front of the journal box (see, for instance,Figure 2) requires that the end of the. core take a substantial portionof this pressure. The longitudinally extending interconnecting walls ofthe core prevent the material forming the core from bulging `outwardlyat the sides and edges of the core under this endwise pressure againstthe core. This permits the packing to slip into place without having tojack the box, contrary to practice when installing most lubricators.

The reason for this appears to be that endwise pressure yon theinterconnecting walls places the walls under offsetting tension andcompression forces, thereby eliminating the tendency of the outersurface of the core to r bend or bulge sidewise of the packing.Referring to Figure 7, for instance, application of endwise pressure toone of the three walled corners may place two of the walls incompression and the third wall in tension, or vice versa, whereby thetendency of the corner 35 to buckle under endwise pressure is resisted.This makes the core relatively stiff longitudinally (which may be calledcolumnar rigidity), but permits the sidewise springiness required topress the packing applicator surface against the journal.

Fastening the envelope to the core It is necessary to fasten theresilient core in the laminated envelope 13, and, while this may be donein a variety of ways, it is simply and effectively accomplished by usinga strip or strips of cloth tape (Fig. 9) cemented or vulcanized to thecore at 41 (Fig. 8), and sewed, cemented, yor vulcanized to the endportions of the laminated envelope at 42. The showing in Fig. 8 is, rofcourse, diagrammatic and distorted to indicate a long area of contactbetween the strip 40 and the core and end contacts between the strip andthe envelope. In one form that has been found satisfactory, one stripabove and another below are sut`n`cient.

Handle or strap When the package embodying this invention is to be putto use, it is compressed and worked down under the journal int-o theposition shown in several of the igures. Once in that position, theresilient core holds it in plac'e and prevents it from working out ofthe correct position.

In order to make it easy to remove the package from the journal box, itis provided with a strap 44 (Fig. 10) fabricated of oil resistingrubber-like materials and canvas or jute webbing, and made fast to thelubricator package substantially throughout the length of the latter andextending well toward the entrance to the journal box, as illustrated inFig. 2, where it is provided with an opening 45 to receive a hooksimilar to that ordinarily found on the box packers tool and by whichthe entire package may be withdrawn from the journal box.

In order to insure that the strap 44 is suciently exible to bend as thepackage is put into or pulled out of the outer position, its lowersurface is provided with a series of notches or grooves 46.

The projecting portion of the strap 44 is provided on its upper sidewith a legend giving the size of the journal box in which it is to beusedy and directions This side up; and it may be well toalso mark theother side Bottom.

In the cross section shown in Fig. 12, the lubricator package includesan envelope 13 with a core' 30. corresponding to that shown in Fig. 6,in which the tubes are distorted due to the compression necessary in therestricted space between the lower side 1of the journal and the bottomof the journal box.

in the cross section shown in Fig. 13, the lubricator package includesan envelope 13 and a resilient core 33 corresponding to that shown inFig. 7 distorted for the reasons indicated above.

in both Figs. l2 and 13, the strap or handle 44 is shown as secured tothe outside of the envelope 13 at the bottom, which may be done byvulcanizing, stitching, or both, or any other suitable means.

In the cross section shown in Fig. 14, the package includes an envelopeS0 corresponding to the envelope 13 on the upper side, but having nowaste attached to the lower portion 51. Instead, the carrier cloth 18 isleft bare and long enough to extend from the area indicated by 52 to themiddle of the box and back to 52 again. In other words, the laminatedportion of the basic material has a sort of selvage of the woven fabric18 wide enough to fold and extend from the area 52 to the middle of thebox.

This construction has the advantage of using less cotton waste and'leaving the capillary action of the woven material free from anydiverting ow that might occur in the form shown in Figs. 12 and 13, tothe end that the lift of oil charged into the oil cellar is more rapidthan when the envelope has waste all the way around.

In Fig. 14, the strap 44 is shown attached to the upper side of theenvelope at the bottom of the package and overlapping the joint betweenthe two sides of the selvage to which it is secured by vulcanizing,stitching, or both, or otherwise.

Fig. 15 corresponds to Fig. 14 except that the core 33 corresponds tothat shown in Fig. 7 instead of that shown in Fig. 6.

In one form that has been found satisfactory, the resilient core iscomposed of 58 hexagonal tubes on the order of W16 in size with wallthickness on the order yof .020.

The strap 44 is approximately g" thick by 2" Wide, and stiffer thanbelting of those dimensions. It is molded to rit the contour of thebottom Wall of the journal box substantially as shown in Fig. 2 andassists in holding the package in place.

The strips 40 are 21/2" nylon webbing 20 mils thick with a tensilestrength on the order of 1200 pounds.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my applications Serial No.345,552, tiled March 30, 1953, now Patent No. 2,747,952, and Serial No.367,321, filed July l0, 1953, now Patent No. 2,762,667.

I claim; A

1. Infa'lubriator 'for a car journal, adapted to be mounted in a journalb ox and rest upon the oor of the oilcellar therein, the .combination ofa resilient core, an oil-absorbent material mounted on the top side ofthe ,core and adapted Vto be resiliently pressed into contact .with thecar journal by said resilient core, and capillary means for lifting oilfrom Vthe oil cellar to said oilabsor-bent material, said core beingmade of oil-resistant, rubber-like material and comprising Va pluralityof parallel tubes arranged in contiguous relation to provide a honeycombstructure, the depth of said tubes being many Ytimes ,greater than thethickness ofthe tube Walls, whereby the core may be compressedvertically to a small fraction of its free ,heighttorfacilitate ,theready insertion Yand removal of the lubricator from the journalbox.

2. A lubricator as Vset forth in claim 1 in which `the core an extrudedmember having a'single wall thickness between vthe contiguous tubes.

Y `3. vA lubricator as set forth in claim l in which contiguous Vtubeshave common Walls having a wall thickness Vontherorder of .about .020'Iand with the depth oi the Vtubes 'being on'the order of 9/13". A i '4, Alubricator asset forth in claim l in which said capillary means islooped about the core and comprises a/wo'ven cloth'of capillary`material having its ends positioned adjacent each other at ther'bottornof the lubricator, and a strap overlappingrand secured to the contiguousends-of said cloth, said strap extending forwardly of the capillarymeans to form a handle.

5. In a lubricator for a car journal adapted to be mounted in `a journalbox and rest upon the floor of the Yoil' cellar therein, the combinationof a resilient core, an

oil-absorbent material mounted on the top side of the core and adaptedto be resiliently pressed into contact withthe car journal by saidresilient core, capillary means for lifting oilfrom the oil Acellar Vtosaid oil-absorbentman bricator, said strap being provided withtransversenotches Perfect Journal Lubrication.

along a .portion of its secured 'length to facilitate bending of thestrap in the area of the notches during the insertion and removal of thelubricator from the journal box, Y A

6. A lubricator as set forth in claim v2 in which the tubes are ofhexagonal cross-sectional shape.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Y91,000 'Devlan lune 8, 368,937 Flynt Aug. 30, V1887 1,825,827 Smith Oct.6, `1931 2,079,734 Ditmore May 11, 1937 2,100,492 Sindler Nov. 30, 19372,115,457 Cunningham Apr. 26,1938 2,180,304 Minor Nov. 14, 19392,213,028 Y Kraft Aug. 27, 1940 2,298,986 Taylor et al. Oct. 13, 19422,348,911 Korn May 16, 1944 2,369,006 Banks Feb. 6, 1945 2,454,354Stiles 'Nov, 23, 1948 2,672,672 Shaw Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS643,541 Germany Apr. 10, 1937 OTHER REFERENCES Advertisement byLubrication Products Co. entitled,

